Luis S Acosta Jr

I began my education career in 1994 as a 5th grade bilingual teacher in Houston, Texas in Alief ISD. In the summer of 1998, my wife and I embarked on an adventure together to teach in South America at Colegio Karl C. Parrish, an American school in Barranquilla, Colombia. I taught 5th grade and coached 8th grade basketball at Colegio Karl C. Parrish. In the summer of 2003, my family and I moved back to the U.S. to be closer to our families, and I was hired by Lewisville ISD as a 4th/5th grade bilingual teacher at Vickery Elementary the first year it opened. In the summer of 2004, I was promoted to the position of Assistant Principal at Central Elementary, where I served for the next three years. Central Elementary is a Title I campus with a high ELL population, and I became acutely aware of the importance of ensuring that learning standards were being taught profoundly in order to support students’ academic progress. In 2007, the passing rate of English Reading TAKS for 3rd Grade in Spring 2007 was 80%, which was more than a 10% increase from the previous year. The passing rate of students at risk for failing Math TAKS increased by 15% after implementation and coordination of a Saturday Math Club Program. Since the fall of 2004, I have been the Assistant Principal at Central Elementary, Garden Ridge Elementary, and the East Zone. Regardless of which campus I serve, student success is always my priority.

Due to these varied experiences in my educational career, I was able to develop a great ability to differentiate and vary my teaching strategies to meet the diverse needs of individual students. Exposure to diverse populations has afforded me the pleasure of developing lasting relationships with stakeholders both near and far, from all walks of life. I feel that there is something to be learned from every person I meet, and purposeful investment of time, exchange of life stories, and overall appreciation of others has made me a better person and educator.